Ratchet pruners are a boon to gardeners, especially female gardeners, because they do not require a strong grip to sever stalks close to the opening capacity of the pruners. The repeated squeezing action of the operator's hand allows the cut to be made in three or four stages. While thick stalks or dried stalks all yield to the blade using multiple ratchet strokes, the time taken to prune by this ratchet mechanism is considerably greater and progress is slower.
Carrying an ordinary pruner and a ratchet pruner does not generally speed the operator's work because it may not be until the resistance to cutting is felt by the operator that the choice of which tool to use becomes apparent.